London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

Hackney council has linked with the City of London to demand an opt-out from government proposals that will allow developers to convert offices to flats. The council warned business landlords on Monday, “the potential impact of this on the borough’s commercial space is huge”.

The City Corporation is almost certain to be given an exemption to the proposals put forward last month by planning minister Nick Boles. Hackney and City officials have been meeting to discuss the Boles plan, which they fear will restrict office supply within Hackney’s boundaries, immediately north of Broadgate.

Hackney head of regeneration, Andrew Sissons, has urged landowners to write to Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, to lobby for a Hackney opt-out. The council has a long-term plan to match council spending with income from commercial property ventures on public land in the south of the borough.

Sissons says the danger comes because “residential values are so much higher in parts of the borough close to the City. Landowners will undoubtedly consider the opportunity to change the use of the land. This policy, if it becomes legislation, could have a massive impact on the businesses of Hackney.”

Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea councils are also lobbying to be exempted from the rules, which come into force in April. “To allow offices to convert to residential, you are going to lose the heart and centre of business,” said Robert Davis, deputy leader of Westminster City Council.